By MARIKA MCELROY CAIN
50 Under 50
These boutique hotels go big with the details: A gracious Mexican hacienda has bathtubs carved from coral stone; a desert casbah invites guests to sleep on the roof under the stars; a Danish hideaway has its own on-site organic dairy; a Turkish cave hotel is straight from a fairytale. And with 50 or fewer rooms, these properties offer you the added perk of knowing you’re among a select few to enjoy their charms.
AFRICA
Franschhoek, South Africa
(Gourmet Destination)
La Residence
11 rooms
Rustic glam reigns at this hideaway in the heart of South Africa’s premier wine and dining destination. Colossal crystal chandeliers hang from rough-hewn beams; red velvet settees stand on a black-and-white-checked marble floor. Each suite is distinctive – and lavish, from Room 3, with its heated marble bed and mirrored bathroom, to the India-inspired Room 11. Meals are prepared using ingredients from the hotel’s garden and paired with great South African wines. Doubles from $780, including breakfast, some beverages, and a bottle of wine.
Johannesburg, South Africa
(Under $250 a night)
Tintswalo at Waterfall
16 rooms
Equestrian chic takes the reins at this stone-clad lodge near Johannesburg. Polo grounds surround the hotel, which is located on a 494-acre country estate, and rooms are named (and decorated) after horse breeds. From $155 per person, including breakfast and cocktail hour, and one spa treatment per person.
North Male Atoll, Maldives
Soneva Gili by Six Senses
45 rooms
Among the 45 overwater, thatched-roof rooms at this coral island resort in the Indian Ocean are seven Crusoe Residences, reachable only by private rowboat. Doubles from $1,304, including breakfast and a 30-minute spa treatment.
Skoura, Morocco
(Meals Included)
Dar Ahlam
12 rooms
A desert-fantasy hideaway in a verdant palm grove, Dar Ahlam occupies a restored 1920s adobe casbah where dramatic flourishes range from alfresco candlelit dinners to rooftop overnights. Doubles from $1,325, including all meals and beverages.
Bazaruto Island, Mozambique
Indigo Bay Island Resort and Spa
44 rooms
In addition to diving and snorkeling from Indigo Bay’s pristine beachside location, with its white-sand beaches and clear Indian Ocean waters, guests can head inland for dune-boarding and exploration. From $465 per person, including all meals.
ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Delwara, India
Devi Garh
39 rooms
Inside, this eighteenth-century Rajasthan sandstone fortress is a citadel of sophistication in the Aravalli Hills. While its butter-yellow exterior remains as it was in the days of Raj Raghudev Singh II, its contemporary interior gleams with inlaid semiprecious stones. Guests in the Devi Garh Suite can float in its black marble swimming pool, while those in the Aravali Suites can contemplate the eponymous surrounding hills from balconies or bay windows. Doubles from $370, including breakfast.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Amansara
24 rooms
The midcentury modern former guesthouse of King Norodom Sihanouk, this low-slung Aman property stands at the doorstep of the ancient temple city of Angkor. Each guest gets a private remork (moped-drawn rickshaw) and driver for excursions. Doubles from $750, plus $100 per person for meals, including breakfast and lunch or dinner, beverages, two daily remork outings, and a spa treatment.
Bali, Indonesia
Amankila
34 rooms
Get a Bali high at this verdant east island hideaway, where a three-tiered pool stair-steps down the hillside in front, while 10,308-foot Mount Agung towers behind. Divide lounging time between the white-sand beach and private terrace daybeds. Doubles from $850, including breakfast, one lunch for two, and transfers from the Denpasar airport.
Phuket, Thailand
(Kid Friendly)
Trisara
39 rooms
The best thing about a property where every suite has its own pool? No jockeying for lounge chairs – and, in the case of Trisara, views from your king-size bed to your private pool and the Andaman Sea beyond. The resort also has a kids’ club. Doubles from $563, including breakfast, a $100 spa credit, and airport transfers.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
(All Meals Included)
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa
42 rooms
An upscale bedouin aesthetic pervades Al Maha, set on nearly 90 square miles of desert preserve at Dubai’s outskirts. Each suite has a swooping tentlike roof and a private pool, and guests can ride camels through the surrounding desert. Doubles from $1,305, including all meals and two activities per day.
NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA
Russell, North Island, New Zealand
Eagles Nest
5 rooms
An opulent base for flights of fancy through the spectacular Bay of Islands, this aerie’s villas employ glass, concrete, and a color scheme of gray, black, and white to play up the natural beauty outside. Guests can swim in private infinity pools in all but one villa, head out for whale-watching, call on a chef to prepare meals in their gourmet kitchens, and – if they’re staying in the four-bedroom Rahimoana Suite – zip around the area in a Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Doubles from $420 (minimum two-night stay), including a fully stocked pantry replenished daily, transfers from the Bay of Islands airport, and a bottle of Champagne.
Glenorchy, South Island, New Zealand
Blanket Bay
12 rooms
With design as ruggedly classic as the scenery surrounding it, this lodge at the northern tip of Lake Wakatipu positions travelers to take advantage of the South Island’s famed outdoor pursuits (fly-fishing, horseback riding, hiking, and the like). Doubles from $480, including breakfast, predinner cocktails, and dinner.
Cape Palliser, North Island, New Zealand
Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate
12 rooms
An Edwardian-inspired main lodge and cottages with heated marble floors and cushy four-poster beds are cozy foils for the thundering surf below the country’s oldest working sheep farm. From $345 per person, including breakfast, predinner cocktails, dinner, and a $50 activity credit.
Kangaroo Island, Australia
(All Meals Included)
Southern Ocean Lodge
21 rooms
Southern Ocean Lodge appears to have been dropped onto remote Kangaroo Island by incredibly hip hoteliers from the future. Inside the linear clifftop building, a floating fireplace graces the lobby, and rooms have sunken lounge areas with ocean vistas. From $760 per person (two-night minimum), including all meals and some beverages, activities, a $25 spa credit, and airport transfers.
Wrotham Park, AUSTRALIA
(All Meals Included)
Voyages Wrotham Park Lodge
10 rooms
A 1.5-million-acre working cattle station, 20 guests (at the most), ten cottagelike quarters with views of the red escarpment over Mitchell River, and innumerable options for diversion, from cattle drives to country cuisine – it all adds up to an Outback fantasy. Doubles from $1,045 for two nights, including all meals, some beverages, and some activities.
SOUTH AMERICA
Santa Catalina, Argentina
(All Meals Included)
Estancia de Charme El Colibrí
9 rooms
Recipe for a sophisticated sojourn: Take 420 acres of pampas; add one polo-loving family, French design flair, and Argentine soul. Situated in Argentina’s Córdoba Province, Raoul and Stéphanie Fenestraz’s estancia has handpainted ceilings, floors hewn from vintage railroad ties, Parisian velvet drapes, two polo fields, and an on-site farm and garden that provide meat and produce for use at La Table du Colibrí. Take a polo clinic, followed by a barbecue at the clubhouse; help the gauchos round up cattle; salute the sun during a yoga class in the spa; and retire to your room to relax in front of the fireplace with your spirit well nourished. Doubles from $485, including all meals and nonalcoholic beverages.
Santa Catarina, Brazil
(All Meals Included)
Ponta dos Ganchos
Exclusive Resort
25 rooms
White sand and turquoise waters in front, rain forest behind, and ocean-view bungalows throughout set the scene for romance. No guests under 18 and dinners for two in the candlelit gazebo on a tiny island seal the deal. Doubles from $720 (minimum two-night stay), including all meals and a $50 bar credit.
Maraú, Bahia, Brazil
Kiaroa Eco-Luxury Resort
28 rooms
A 30-minute flight from Salvador de Bahia lands guests at this beach resort on the secluded Maraú Peninsula. Half of the rooms are in freestanding bungalows, some with their own private pools. Doubles from $508, including breakfast and one dinner for two.
Easter Island, Chile
(All Meals Included)
explora en Rapa Nui
30 rooms
Easter Islanders hewed their iconic moai; now explora has crafted a sinuous lodge of blond and black wood, volcanic rock, and curvilinear spaces. Admire the former during day excursions led by local guides, and revel in the latter’s ocean views and fine dining afterward. Three nights from $2,280 per person, including all meals and beverages, and daily explorations.
Carmelo, Uruguay
(Under $250 a Night & Family Friendly)
Four Seasons Resort Carmelo
44 rooms
With a minimum of 970 square feet each, the bungalows at this Asian-inflected resort on the Río de la Plata give families space to relax – as do the walled gardens with outdoor showers (in some bungalows), an 18-hole golf course, and in-room spa treatments. Doubles from $250, including breakfast and one greens fee or one spa treatment.
MEXICO
Puebla, Mexico
(Under $250 a Night)
La Purificadora
26 rooms
A clear choice for high-style lodging in colonial Puebla, this modern hideaway – built on the site of a nineteenth-century water purification factory – cuts an impressive figure in the heart of town. Guests are greeted in a three-story open-air lobby, resplendent with purple furniture, whitewashed walls and stone floors. Elements of the original structure are incorporated into the hotel, while contemporary flourishes include a rooftop deck flanked by a glass-sided swimming pool and rooms with glass closets and balconies. Doubles from $155, including breakfast and one $50 food and beverage credit.
Comala, Mexico
Hacienda de San Antonio
25 rooms
An active volcano rises behind this hacienda in Mexico’s western highlands. Originally the center of a nineteenth-century coffee plantation, the property has Alhambra-like formal gardens, a gilded chapel, and nighttime entertainment in the form of distant lava flows. Doubles from $440, including breakfast, one private picnic, a volcano excursion, and transfers from the airport in Colima.
Mérida, Mexico
(Under $250 a Night)
La Hacienda Xcanatún
18 rooms
Two of the Master Suites at this restored eighteenth-century hacienda have bathtubs carved from coral stone – ideal for a prolonged soak after a day exploring nearby Mérida. Doubles from $245, including breakfast and complimentary parking.
Riviera Maya, Mexico
(Family Friendly)
Hotel Esencia
29 rooms
Once the beachside estate of an Italian duchess, this whitewashed hotel near Playa del Carmen provides families with an airy – and royalty-appropriate – hideaway, complete with pools, warm Caribbean water, and two miles of white, sandy shoreline. Two-bedroom cottages include twin beds for kids. Doubles from $459, including breakfast and one wine tasting.
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Calistoga, California
Calistoga Ranch
46 rooms
Among the alfresco diversions at this wine country woodland escape: bocce, biking, and bathing. Each freestanding cedar-shingled guest lodge counts a private outdoor shower among its amenities, so guests can scrub up while contemplating the abundant pine and oak trees. In larger lodges, the master bedroom is joined to the living area by a deck – a bit of architectural encouragement to slow down and appreciate just how great the outdoors is in this part of the country. Doubles from $650, including breakfast and a bottle of wine.
San Martin, California
CordeValle, a Rosewood Resort
45 rooms
A fireplace in every bungalow and suite warms guests on cool evenings at this resort in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Outside, golf games heat up on the challenging Robert Trent Jones Jr. course. Doubles from $395, including breakfast and a $100 resort credit.
Napa, California
(Gourmet Experience)
Poetry Inn
5 rooms
Leave it to a vintner to open one of Napa’s most enchanting hotels: Cliff Lede (of Cliff Lede Vineyards) lavishes guests at this property overlooking the Poetry Vineyard with three-course breakfasts, heated marble bathroom floors, and panoramic valley views. Doubles from $550, including breakfast and a guided vineyard tour and VIP tasting.
Lenox, Massachusetts
Blantyre
24 rooms
A genteel Berkshires retreat, this turn-of-the-nineteenth-century Tudor mansion was rescued from oblivion in the 1980s. Now it welcomes guests with year-round style: The staff floods the Har-Tru tennis courts to create a skating rink in the winter. Doubles from $550, including breakfast and a one-hour massage.
Natchez, Mississippi
(Under $250 a Night)
Monmouth Plantation
30 rooms
This 1818 mansion’s antebellum allure drapes over arbors in the form of blooming wisteria. It cloaks the massive oaks in the form of Spanish moss. And it fills every room of the house, which has been meticulously restored. Doubles from $195, including breakfast and a carriage ride or entrance to two area mansions.
British Columbia, Canada
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort
(All Meals Included & Family Friendly)
20 rooms
Camping never looked as au courant as it does at this Northwest outpost 20 miles from Tofino. Outdoorsy types spend nights in spacious, heated white canvas tents and days hiking,bear- and whale-watching, fly-fishing, and more. $3,750 per person for three nights, including all meals and beverages, activities and round-trip floatplane transfers from Vancouver.
EUROPE
Copenhagen, Denmark
(Gourmet Experience)
Nimb
13 rooms
At this small hotel inside Tivoli Gardens, the Moorish-style roof shelters rooms with an alluring combination of traditional and modern Danish design. Star chef Thomas Herman helms one of the two on-site restaurants, and the hotel also houses a wine bar that pours 30 vintages by the glass and a deli that churns out organic butter, yogurt, and cheese. Doubles from $690, including breakfast and one afternoon tea for two.
Lech, Austria
Kristiania Lech
30 rooms
An of-the-moment lodge in the swish ski resort of Lech, the Kristiania offers a Maybach for ferrying guests around town, a ski butler (of course), and events such as a Louis Vuitton packing school. Doubles from $600, including breakfast and dinner.
Great Milton, England
(Gourmet Experience)
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
32 rooms
Destination dining is the draw at Raymond Blanc’s two-Michelin-star restaurant and hotel in Oxfordshire, but the rooms and suites are as delicious as any of the modern French dishes on the menu here. Doubles from $630, including breakfast and a $100 food and beverage credit.
Chipping Campden, England
The Cotswold House Hotel
30 rooms
The lichen-kissed exterior of this 1802 manor house belies the thrilling updates inside: massive stone bathtubs, Frette linens, and a host of contemporary design elements. Outdoors, a riot of flowers bursts from the fetching gardens. Doubles from $280, including breakfast and one afternoon tea for two.
Mane-en-Provence, France
Le Couvent des Minimes Hôtel & Spa
46 rooms
Herbal notes infuse this seventeenth-century convent, newly reinvented as a hotel by skincare brand L’Occitane, from the aromatic garden to spa treatments that incorporate almonds, verbena, and other local ingredients. Doubles from $390, including breakfast, a daily spa experience, and a L’Occitane welcome gift.
Le Mans, France
(Under $250 a night)
Château Hôtel de la Barre
8 rooms
The Count and Countess de Vanssay open the doors of their fifteenth-century Loire Valley château to travelers for stays in heirloom-bedecked rooms, countryside picnics, lavish formal dinners, and aristocratic hospitality. Doubles from $210, including breakfast, afternoon tea, and a tour of a nearby dairy farm.
Eloúnda, Crete, Greece
(Family Friendly)
Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites
28 rooms
Play house, Greek glitz style, in any of ten suites and 18 family-appropriate villas at this whitewashed enclave overlooking the Mirabello Gulf. Villas, which sleep between two and six guests, have private pools, trompe l’oeil detailing, and full kitchens, as well as on-call cooks who can whip up meals to be served in the outdoor dining area. Suites from $545 and villas from $1,170, including breakfast and one dinner for two.
Santorini, Greece
Vedema Resort
45 rooms
Like the setting for a Cycladic daydream, Vedema Resort undulates across its site in the small town of Megalohori. Vineyards surround it, the black-sand beaches of Santorini aren’t far off, and a 400-year-old wine cellar serves as its centerpiece. Doubles from $470, including breakfast and one dinner for two.
Ravello, Italy
(Gourmet Experience)
Palazzo Sasso
43 rooms
This twelfth-century palazzo blushes a fetching pink on its perch above the Mediterranean. Perhaps it’s a reaction to an embarrassment of riches: a prime Amalfi Coast location, the two-Michelin-star fare at Rossellinis, and rooms embellished with antiques and handmade Vietri tiles. Doubles from $440, including breakfast and spa access.
Perugia, Italy
(Gourmet Experience)
Palazzo Terranova
10 rooms
Umbrian countryside living takes a turn for the luxe at this country house. Guests can hunt for white truffles, learn to make pasta or wood-fired pizza, or just admire the rolling vista from the pool. Doubles from $555, including breakfast and one dinner for two.
Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy
(Gourmet Experience)
L’Andana
33 rooms
Alain Ducasse opened his Tuscan hotel in the sixteenth-century hunting lodge of Duke Leopold to much fanfare a few years back. Since then, it’s seen a steady business from foodies, as well as those who want to feast their eyes on the luscious Maremma region. The restaurant, La Trattoria Toscana, is housed in the former granary, while the hotel occupies the villa. Rooms have muted walls and rustic furnishings, which give the brash saffron and citrus hues of linens and drapes all the more impact. Doubles from $520, including breakfast, a $50 lunch credit, and spa access.
Pievescola, Italy
Relais La Suvera
32 rooms
Rooms at this Tuscan Renaissance villa, once the property of Pope Julius II, are festooned with brocade and filled with magnificent details (sleep, for instance, in the canopied battlefield bed of the first duke of Genoa). Doubles from $540, including breakfast and welcome drinks.
Cotas, Portugal
(All Meals Included)
Quinta da Romaneira
19 rooms
Set on 990 acres of terraced Duoro Valley vineyards, Quinta da Romaneira’s rooms are divided between one traditional villa and one with modern leanings. Spend an afternoon touring the area’s wineries or just settle in at the on-site chocolaterie for tea and treats. Doubles from $1,450, including all meals and beverages, activities, and one lunch for two on a riverboat or one winery visit.
Verbier, Switzerland
(All Meals Included & Family Friendly)
The Lodge, Verbier
9 rooms
Richard Branson’s mountain hideaway is a cozy-chic alpine nest with smooth plank walls, a slopeside location in one of Switzerland’s most beloved ski towns, and a family-friendly ethos (there’s even a mini ice rink and a bunk room that sleeps up to six kids). Three nights from $1,900, including all meals and beverages.
Zürich, Switzerland
Widder Hotel
49 rooms
The eight historic town houses that make up this hotel are national monuments. Inside, the buildings’ bones are lovingly preserved but get a modern injection from furnishings by the likes of Charles and Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. Doubles from $520, including breakfast and a Zurich pass for access to museums, transportation, and more.
Sanlúcar la Mayor, Spain
(Gourmet Experience)
El Bulli Hotel
Hacienda Benazuza
44 rooms
Catalan sensation Ferran Adrià lent his star power – and a roster of his most famed dishes – to this gorgeously restored Moorish farmhouse 20 minutes west of Seville. La Alquería serves a 24-course tasting menu that the property’s original inhabitants could only have imagined: roasted vegetables with charcoal oil and fennel flower tempura, among other dishes. Guests can spend their days lounging on curtained daybeds by the pool or taking the waters in the Moorish-inspired spa. Doubles from $460, including breakfast, plus wine and tapas once during stay.
Elciego, Spain
(Gourmet Experience)
Marqués de Riscal
43 rooms
Frank Gehry’s landmark Rioja hotel continues to lure wine lovers and contemporary architecture devotees. Rooms showcase Gehry’s signature wacky walls and windows – or views of the Gehry building, depending on which one you book. Doubles from $1,100, including breakfast and a 15-minute spa treatment.
Granada, Spain
(Under $250 a Night)
Hospes Palacio de los Patos
42 rooms
Awash in white, from the linens to the walls, the decor at this hotel in the heart of Andalusia is in striking contrast to the cobbled winding streets and ornate Moorish details of the Alhambra. Doubles from $205, including breakfast, plus drinks and tapas once during stay.
Inverness, Scotland
(Family Friendly)
Rocpool Reserve Hotel & Restaurant
11 rooms
A little bit of rock and roll in an area known more for its lochs and knolls, this Scottish Highlands property has Xboxes for kids, bold color flourishes, and a restaurant that uses local ingredients to ingenious ends. Doubles from $275, including breakfast and one afternoon tea.
Göreme, Turkey
Anatolian Houses
19 rooms
Cave dwelling at its most fabulous is the draw at this hotel, tucked into a series of Cappadocia’s storied caves. Columns, ceilings, and even beds are carved from stone, and some suites feature the conical fairy chimneys that make the region famous. Doubles from $280, including breakfast and one dinner, one afternoon tea, and one horseback outing for two.